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Oscars Trivia: Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

As everyone gears up for the 2024 Academy Awards, we have another interesting Oscars Trivia for you. If you’ve followed the award ceremony for years, you must be aware that there have been times when the Academy grabbed headlines for unexpected events. From The Godfather actor Marlon Brando not attending the awards to the Will Smith and Chris Rock slap gate, there’s a lot that startles the audience. But did you know, once, two actresses won the Best Actress Award at the same time?

Yes, you read it right. In 1969, there was a tie between Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn for the Best Actress category at the Oscars. Barbra was nominated for Funny Girl, and Katharine was nominated in the same category for her performance in The Lion in Winter. However, only one of the actresses was present for the award ceremony.

Funny Girl has recouped its capitalization costs on Broadway, producers said Monday.

The musical, which originally opened at the August Wilson Theatre in April 2022, was capitalized for $16.5 million. The production, starring Lea Michele, is set to close on Broadway on Sept. 3. A North American tour, starring Katerina McCrimmon, will follow.

The production started with Beanie Feldstein in the leading role, but after she received mixed reviews, grosses and attendance began to fall. Feldstein was then replaced with Michele, who had already performed several of the songs on Glee and thus was a draw for audience members. However, Michele had to fight back against allegations of on-set bullying while on the television show as well as the controversy of taking over the role from Feldstein. She came into the production on Sept. 6, 2022, and was well-received in the role, and the box office began trending upward. 

Since then, Funny Girl has set...

Peter Francis James (Florenz Ziegfeld), Jane Lynch (Mrs. Rosie Brice), Jared Grimes (Eddie Ryan), Beanie Feldstein (Fanny Brice), Ephie Aardema (Emma), Debra Cardona (Mrs. Meeker), Martin Moran (Tom Keeney), Toni Dibuono (Mrs. Strakosh) and the cast of Funny Girl Photo: Matthew Murphy, 2022

When I spoke with Tony winner Michael Mayer in December on his Netflix holiday season hit, Single All The Way, we discussed that he was going to be directing the very first Broadway revival of Funny Girl with Beanie Feldstein in the Barbra Streisand role as Fanny Brice and Ramin Karimloo taking on Nicky Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif in the film.

Michael Mayer with Anne-Katrin Titze (in Batsheva) on Funny Girl: “It’s really the Fanny Brice story, not the Barbra Streisand story.”

The musical features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and the book by Isobel Lennart with revisions by Harvey Fierstein and costumes by Susan Hilferty.

For all those people who have been dying to hear the music that makes you dance once again on a Broadway stage, “Funny Girl” has finally returned after a 58-year absence. Beanie Feldstein steps into the role of performer Fanny Brice, which made Barbra Streisand a sensation decades ago. Ramin Karimloo is her gambling love interest Nicky Arnstein, and Jane Lynch her mother. Boasting a classic score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, this production features Harvey Fierstein’s revisions to Isobel Lennart’s original book, and Michael Mayer‘s direction. “Funny Girl” opened at the August Wilson Theatre on April 24.

With such high expectations for the long-awaited return of this musical theatre favorite, it would have been hard for any production to hit the mark, and most critics think this “Funny Girl” missed. In one of the positive notices, Mark Kennedy (Associated Press) calls Feldstein’s interpretation of Brice “earthy,...

Lesli Margherita, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, Tony Sheldon, and Matt Hetherington have joined Feinstein's54 Below's one night only concert of Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, and Peter Stone's Tony nominated musical Sugar, on Tuesday, September 5th, at 7 pm and 930 pm.

Jack F. Lee born John Francis Lee, beloved musical director of both stage and screen, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2016 in his home at the age of 86. Mr. Lee was one of Broadway's leading conductors and musical directors who worked with composerslyricists John Kander amp Fred Ebb, Cy Coleman amp Dorothy Fields, Jule Styne, Richard Rogers, Stephen Sondheim, Charles Strouse, Alan Jay Lerner, Maury Yeston, Robert Wright amp George Forrest, Sandy Wilson, Bob Merrill, Betty Comden amp Adolph Green and Harvey Schmidt amp Tom Jones.

Now that Halloween is out of the way (any candy left? mail it to us!) it's time to get serious about holiday programming. For some people "holiday" may suggest Christmas, but nobody puts Thanksgiving in the corner. The CW just released its list of upcoming holiday specials and they were wise enough to include one of the great T-Day comedy classics, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," as well as more wintry fare, including "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" and "Merry Madagascar."

Here's The CW holiday schedule:

Tuesday, November 24

"Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. Et)

A Celebration Of The Best Holiday Commercials From Around The World - Kevin Frazier ("Entertainment Tonight") and Keltie Knight ("The Insider") host this holiday celebration with a countdown of the 12 best holiday commercials ever - one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. In addition to the top 12, the special features other great commercials from both the U.

CW has updated their Christmas Eve schedule about a week ahead of their December 24th day. The network decided to add some more festive specials for the night with Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol and Merry Madagascar for the holiday evening. They will be aired during 8:00 8:30 Pm Est. They luckily released a description of the episodes for those who want to know what they are about. Here is what their press release said on the subject.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol — (8:00-9:22:57 p.m. Et) (TV-g) (HDTV)

Mr. Magoo Stars As Ebenezer Scrooge In The Classic Dickens Tale — This animated musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved Christmas ghost story stars the nearsighted Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge. Featuring the voice of Jim Backus as Magoo, with voice-over appearances by Paul Frees, Morey Amsterdam, Joan Gardner and Jack Cassidy, this original version of the 1962 special was...

CW has officially announced how they will be celebrating Christmas week, which starts December 22. The tee network will be airing the super, iHeartRadio Jingle Ball show on December 22. However, they will be also airing the Mr. Magoo’s Christmas and Merry Madagascar. This will be mixed in the regular scheduled series hat will mostly be reruns due to mid-season finales. Here is the official listing that they have released for that week.

Monday, December 22

90-minute Special

The iHEARTRADIO Jingle Ball 2014 — (8:00-9:30 p.m. Et) (Content Rating Tbd) (HDTV)

Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Maroon 5 And Many More In An All-star Holiday Concert Event — The star-studded concert from Madison Square Garden is hosted by Elvis Duran of Clear Channel’s Z100, New York’s Hit Music Station. Additional musical performers include Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Pharrell, OneRepublic, Meghan Trainor, 5 Seconds of Summer, Jessie J., Shawn Mendes, Charli Xcx, Rita Ora and Nick Jonas.

CW is on a roll when it comes to releasing their holiday schedule, as they released the holiday schedule for the week of December 15th. This includes mid season finales and the return of Hart of Dixie. It is also sprinkled with a few holiday specials for those who miss the classics that we grew up watching. Now they get a chance to share less popular shows. Here is the official listing for that week.

Season Premiere

Hart Of Dixie

“Kablang” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. Et) (Content Rating Tbd) (HDTV)

Second Chances — Zoe (Rachel Bilson) is excited that Wade (Wilson Bethel) has decided to stay in BlueBell. However, she is struggling with getting him to notice her attempts at romantic gestures. Brick (Tim Matheson) is surprised when he gets a knock on his door from someone from his past. Meanwhile, George (Scott Porter) and Lavon (Cress Williams) are on...

UnsungMusicalsCo. Umc will continue its 2014 Unsung concert series at 54 Below with Unsung Bob Merrill and Unsung Carolyn Leigh, Vol. 2, following its recent sold-out, critically acclaimed Unsung Carolyn Leigh concert for Lincoln Center's American Songbook. The two all-new evenings are created and directed by Ben West Unsung Carolyn Leigh, The Fig Leaves Are Falling, At Home Abroad with musical direction and arrangements by Fran Minarik Unsung Carolyn Leigh, At Home Abroad.

UnsungMusicalsCo. Umc will continue its 2014 Unsung concert series at 54 Below with Unsung Bob Merrill and Unsung Carolyn Leigh, Vol. 2, following its recent sold-out, critically acclaimed Unsung Carolyn Leigh concert for Lincoln Center's American Songbook. The two all-new evenings are created and directed by Ben West Unsung Carolyn Leigh, The Fig Leaves Are Falling, At Home Abroad with musical direction and arrangements by Fran Minarik Unsung Carolyn Leigh, At Home Abroad.

3-D Theatriclas presents Funny Girl Sept 6 - Sept 22, 2013 at the Plummer Auditorium, and Sept 27 - Sept 29, 2013 at Redondo Beach. Funny Girl is a musical with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway, film star and comedienne Fanny Briceand her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein. Its original title was My Man.

Sugar, a hilarious Tony-nominated musical comedy based on the classic film Some Like It Hot, is the next show in the 2013 Music Circus season, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion from today, July 23 - 28. Like the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, Sugar follows the hysterical antics of two male musicians, disguised as women in an all-female band, as they experience a series of mishaps while fleeing from the mob. The brassy score is by Jule Styne music and Bob Merrill lyrics, composers of the hit musical Funny Girl.

Sugar, a hilarious Tony-nominated musical comedy based on the classic film Some Like It Hot, is the next show in the 2013 Music Circus season, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion from July 23 - 28. Like the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, Sugar follows the hysterical antics of two male musicians, disguised as women in an all-female band, as they experience a series of mishaps while fleeing from the mob. The brassy score is by Jule Stynemusic and Bob Merrill lyrics, composers of the hit musical Funny Girl.

Tinseltown is ready to greet film fans from around the world again for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Beginning this Thursday, April 25 and running through Sunday, April 28 in Hollywood, the festival will open with a gala presentation of the newly restored musical classic Funny Girl (1968).

Over four big days, TCM will welcome legendary stars, award-winning filmmakers and classic movie fans for the cinematic celebration, which this year will center on the theme Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies.

But first on the schedule is Funny Girl!

Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand demonstrates why she’s the greatest star in her Academy Award winning role (Best Actress, 1968) as “Fanny Brice” in the celebrated musical biography Funny Girl. Commemorating its 45th anniversary, the classic film was meticulously restored from the original negative by Sony Pictures Entertainment in 4K at Sony Pictures’ Colorworks.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Funny Girl for the first time on Blu-ray April 30th,...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013

Price: Blu-ray $19.99

Studio: Sony

Barbra Streisand falls for Omar Sharif in Funny Girl.

Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand (A Star is Born) stars in her Academy Award-winning role of famed performer Fanny Brice in the 1968 romantic musical biography Funny Girl, on Blu-ray for the first time and exclusively available at Amazon.

In her first starring film, Streisand recreated her Tony Award-nominated Broadway role for Hollywood giant William Wyler (Ben-Hur), playing the comedienne in a story that contrasted Fanny’s comic onstage antics with her dramatic offstage romance with that gambling nogoodnik Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif, Lawrence of Arabia).

Also featured in the cast are Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Anne Francis as a Ziegfeld showgirl, and Walter Pidgeon as legendary Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld.

The film’s many memorable songs—penned by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics)—include “Don’t Rain on My Parade,...

Today we are talking to the proud Pope Of Trash himself - the iconic writerdirector of such seminal cinematic entries as cult classics Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Hairspray, Cry Baby, Serial Mom, Cecil B. Demented, A Dirty Shame and many more - the one and only John Waters. Packing a characteristically caustic conversation into a relatively brief time slot was no trouble for Waters, for he and I cover a wide range of topics, from his favorite 2012 films to his all-time favorite movie musicals and much more. Most importantly, Waters discusses his process in adapting the hit Tony Award-winning stage property Hairspray into concert form and what we can expect from his newly-penned narration and role as narrator in the live Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presentation of Hairspray In Concert on January 24. Additionally, Waters expounds on his experiences creating the original Hairspray film and how it compares to both its musical sister,...

New York -- Producers of a revival of "Funny Girl" aren't laughing – they've had to scrap plans to mount the Broadway-bound show.

"We have made the extremely difficult decision today to postpone our production of `Funny Girl,'" according to a statement released late Thursday by Bob Boyett, one of the producers.

The musical, which was to star "Six Feet Under" star Lauren Ambrose as Fanny Brice alongside theater veteran Bobby Cannavale, had been slated for an out-of-town tryout at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles before transferring to Broadway in April 2012.

"Given the current economic climate, many Broadway producing investors have found it impossible to maintain their standard level of financial commitment," said Boyett's statement. "This was not the right time to bring `Funny Girl' to the stage."

The show was to cost $12 million – the producers said it would be "one of the most expensive revivals in Broadway history...

Bobby Cannavale, a great New York actor, has landed an iconic New York role. The two-time Tony nominee will star as Nick Arnstein in the revival of Funny Girl, opposite Lauren Ambrose as Fanny Brice. This is the first time back for the musical since the original Broadway production, which featured music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart and closed after a three-year run in 1967. Bartlett Sher will direct the update, which is set for a run Jan. 15-Feb. 26, 2012, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in L.A. This will be the first shot at a musical for Cannavale, a film and TV veteran who made his Broadway debut it 2007 in Theresa Rebeck’s Mauritius and recently starred in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Motherf**ker With the Hat, earning Tony noms for both. He’s repped by ICM.

L.A.'s Center Theatre Group has at last filled the coveted role of legendary vaudeville diva Fanny Brice in director Bartlett Sher's revival of the classic bio-musical "Funny Girl," opening in February 2012 at the Ahmanson Theatre, prior to a spring Broadway bow.This will be the first Broadway revival of the show that catapulted Barbra Streisand's career into the stratosphere in 1964 and won her an Oscar for her film debut in the 1968 screen adaptation. Cast as the irrepressible Jewish superstar in the new production of the Jule Styne-Bob Merrill-Isobel Leonnart tuner is Lauren Ambrose, who earned two Emmy nominations and two SAG awards for her role in "Six Feet Under." Her Broadway credits include "Awake and Sing!" and " "Exit the King." She has played major roles in several films and television series.There was huge curiosity as to who would be cast in this role,...

Lauren Ambrose has been set to play Fanny Brice in the first Broadway run of Funny Girl since the musical originally opened in 1964. The new production, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, will be directed by Tony-winner Bartlett Sher. It will bow at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre from January 15-February 26 before opening on Broadway next spring. Ambrose has done stage turns in Romeo & Juliet in Shakespeare in the Park, Broadway runs in Awake and Sing and Buried Child at London's National Theatre, and the producers said she started as a classically trained opera singer. "It's important that people not see this casting process as trying to find the next Barbra Streisand," Sher said. "Instead, I really needed someone with whom I could explore the original musical and come to terms with Fanny Brice for a new era. I understand how difficult...

Chicago – Few but the most professorial of Broadway aficionados recall with clarity the short-lived “Sugar,” which is one of the first film-to-stage transfers that premiered on the Great White Way in 1972 to lowly acclaim and even lower financial prowess. Though serving as a harbinger for the soon-to-be endowed trend of film derivatives, “Sugar” debuted in the throws of an era thirsty for the provocation of Michael Bennett and the insight of Stephen Sondheim.

Play Rating: 2.5/5.0

More so, however, “Sugar” never seemed to quite crack the sweet recipe that buoyed its farcical siblings (“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” was a big winner the year of “Sugar’s” debut).

”Sugar” at Drury Lane Oakbrook

Photo credit: Brett Beiner

Which is surprising considering the seemingly peerless components that comprise the work. For one, the musical boasts a score by the songwriting team of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill,...

Chicago – Still regal and debonair, Richard Chamberlain has graced both the screen and television with a memorable presence that has spanned 50 years. He recently introduced “The Four Musketeers” at The Hollywood Palms in Naperville, Illinois.

Chamberlain made a superstar splash on TV in 1961 when he played the title character in “Dr. Kildare,” gaining fame in nearly Beatles-like proportion. Moving from that show in the 1960s, he went to England near the end of that decade, to study stagecraft, and eventually became the second American (after John Barrymore in 1929) to play Hamlet while in residence.

His film career then picked up again, as he played a major role in the 1970s schlock classic “The Towering Inferno” and both versions of the Musketeers films (explanation below), before becoming “King of the TV Miniseries” with unforgettable turns in “The Thorn Birds,” “Shogun” and Centennial, among others.

Recently, Chamberlain wrote his autobiography, “Shattered Love,...

State Senator Colby Coash of Nebraska is going to try his hand at horror films. He's committed to play Sergeant Bob Merrill in the indie Blood Rites . That's about as far as Omaha.com's report goes in terms of information, but with a little digging, we've learned the film is written by Chad Haufschild and directed by Dorothy Booraem. Unfiltered Entertainment is producing. Rites is the story of Nicky, a young woman on the wrong side of the law, who finds herself trapped in a secluded warehouse with a sociopathic ex-soldier, a violently unstable drug user, a dying gunshot victim and a handful of religious zealots. As the plot description goes: Something unnatural is happening. A demon wants to be born and that can only happen with a sacrifice of blood. Auditions took place...

Marley was dead, but he’s certainly the Energizer Bunny of holiday fantasy. He just keeps coming back, dragging along clanging chains and enormous lockboxes, always ready to haunt his former business partner Ebenezer Scrooge (It’s for Scrooge’s own good! What does Marley get out of it? Peace of mind?). And here he is doing it again in theaters now as fantasy filmmaker Robert Zemeckis unveils a Performance Capture-cg animated version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all three holiday Ghosts. See my review here.

Dickens originally wrote the story in 1843, and given all the various stage, radio, film and TV versions of it since then (both official and ripoff), it’s certainly one of the most adapted tales ever. Even Dickens adapted it, tailoring a one-man version which he read on stage in London engagements and on tour (including here in...